Corner strip



March 31, 1931. c. Gauss CORNER STRIP Filed April 15, 1928 s sheets-$591 R. C. GROSS CORNER STRIP March 31, 1931.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Filed April 15, 1928 March 31, 1931.

R. C. GROSS CORNER STRIP Filed April 13, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORPatented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE RUSSELL C. GROSS, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO SOLIDON PROD- UCTS INQ, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE CORNER STRIPApplication filed April 13,

10 gypsum board, on the market, and the term wall board as herein usedis understood to include all types of wall coveringto which the severalfeatures of the invention are applicable. Such wall board is usuallymanu- 1 factured in lengths to extend from the floor to the ceiling andis generally of a width which is a multiple of the spacing between theframing timbersof the building, which is usually 16 inches.

Each sheet of wall board must be nailed along each edge and along anyframing timbers across which such sheet extends. When wall board is usedas a side wall of a building the specifications as to nailing can befollowed without the addition of any extra framing, as the studs extendalong the edges of the sheets and the plates of the building frameextend across the top and bottom edges, thereby providing nailingsupport for the 1'90 sheets of wall board around their entire perimeter.

hen wall board is applied to a ceiling it is nailed directly to thejoists where the joists engage it. At the ceiling angle, formed $5 atthe intersection of the joists and the plate sin-mounting the studdingdefining the side wall of a room, the edge of the wall board thatextends parallel to the plate and across the ceiling joists has notimber under it to 4.0 which it may be nailed. To prevent the wall boardfrom warping along the ceiling angle, and to furnish necessary supportfor it, nailing headers are placed between the joists above the edge ofthe wall board. The ine5 sert-ion of nailing headers is expensive byreason of added labor caused in part by their inaccessibility whichmakes correct fitting and nailing difficult. They are often soinsecurely fastened that the subsequent driving into them of the nailsholding the wall board 1928. serm No. 269,810.

loosens them and forces them out of place.

In securing the nailing headers they must be toe-nailed in place. i

I provide'a reinforcing device for application to a frame structure atthe joints between adjacent sheets of building material, elther attheceiling angle or at an intermed ate angle of a wall or ceiling. Thereinforcing device extends across and is secured to a plurality of theframing timbers at the joint, for 1 supporting the edge of the sheets ofwall board without the necessity of providing nailing headers. Theapplication of the reinforcing device to a frame structure is muchquicker, requires less labor, fewer nails, and

results in a better and stronger joint than is obtainable by the use ofnailing headers.

At the ceiling angle the reinforcing device is also used to prevent theformation of a crack between the sheets of wall board upon the settlingof the building frame, or the shrinking or warping of the frame. Thereinforcing device also resists the separation of the various framingtimbers by tying them together. i

The accompanying drawings illustrate certain preferred embodiments ofthe invention, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa portion of abuilding structure illustrating the application of my invention to aceiling angle;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the section line IIII'of Figure1; j V

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 after the separationof the joistsand studding;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the application of myinvention to a steep roof;

Figure 5 is a sectional view thereof taken along the sectionline VV ofFigure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view showing the application of my invention toanother type of ceiling angle;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a reinforcing device for applicationto a ceiling prising a plurality of joists 4 constituting a ceiling, anda plurality of .studs 5 and cooperating plates 6 disposed at the top andbottom of the studs 5 and constituting a side wall. Sheets 7 of wallboard are secured by nails 8 to the joists 4, studs 5 and plates 6. Areinforcing device 10 is mounted on one or more of the plates 6 andstuds 5 in the included angle between the ceiling and side wall.

The reinforcing device 10, in the form of a reinforcing angle shown indetail in Figure 7, is provided with a flange 11, a strengthening andspacing rib 12 and a flange 14 extending substantially parallel to therib 12 and spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to thethickness of a sheet of wall board. In applying the reinforcing angle 10to the framing timbers, the flange 11 is secured by small nails 15 tothe plates 6 and a plurality of studs 5, with the flange 14 inengagement with the under surfaces of the joists 4 but free therefrom.

The length of the reinforcing angle 10 may be varied as desired. Ingeneral I prefer that its length shall be a multiple of the standardspacing of the joists and other timbers, that is 16 inches, in orderthat it may act as a tie between a number of the timbers for preventingtheir separation. After the reinforcing angle 10 is in place, the sheets7 of wall board are applied to the studs 5 with thevrib 12'serving as aspacer against which the upper edges of the sheets 7 abut.

The sheets 7 are secured to the plates 6 by certain of the nails 8 whichalso extend through the flange 11. The edges of the sheets of wall board7 applied to the joists 4 are inserted into the space between the rib 12and the flange 14. The ends of the sheets 7 inserted into thereinforcing angle 10 are left free from the joists 4 for a distance fromthe ceiling angle in order to prevent opening of the joint, ashereinafter described.

By reason of the support given the edges of the sheets of wall boardsecured to the joists 4 by the rib 12 and flange 14 it is unnecessary toprovide nailing headers between the several joists 4. This results ineconomy of time, labor and material. The reinforcing angle also resultsin a perfectly true ceiling angle as it prevents warping of the edges ofthe sheets and does not depend upon nailing headers which are apt tobecome loosened in service. After the sheets of wall board 7 are inplace, the joint between them may be filled with filling material 16.

Referring particularly to Figures 2 and 3, upon the occurrence of aseparation between the plate 6 and the joists 4 such as may be caused bythe settling of the building, the free ends of the wall board adjacentthe edge confined between the rib 12 andflange 14 as sumes a curvedposition, thereby keeping the joint at the ceiling angle closed ratherthan permitting the formation of unsightly openings and cracks. Upon asettling movement, the flange 14 curves to substantially the same extentas do the free ends of the wall board.

Referring to Figures 8, 9 and 10, the rib 12 may be spaced differentdistances from the flange 14 and is given a slope in order to permit itsuse with wall boards of different thicknesses. For example, thereinforcing angle shown in Figure 8 may have'a distance a0 between thelower surface of the flange 14 and the tip of the rib of 1/2 inch, andthe distance a?) from the base of the rib to the lower surface of theflange 14 of 7/16ths of an inch, in which case the supporting angle isadapted for use in connection with sheets varying from 7/16t-hs of aninch to 1/2 inch in thickness.

In Figure 9 the distance ac is shown as 7/16ths of an inch, and thedistance ab as 3/8ths of an inch; while in Figure 10 the distance ac isshown as 4/16ths of an inch and the distance a?) as 3/16ths of an inch.It is to be understood that the foregoing examples are given by way ofillustration and are not to be construed as limiting the invention toany particular thickness of sheets.

In Figures 4 and 5, the invention is shown applied to a sharp roof wherethe sheets of wall board 7 are supported by rafters 21 that meet to formthe ridge of the roof. A reinforcing angle 22 is secured by nails 24 toone set of rafters and extends beneath the sheets of wall board carriedbetween adjacent rafters. The reinforcing and spacing rib is elim- 26, Iprovide a reinforcing angle 27 provided with a spacing rib 28 having ahooked portion 29 that underlies the surface of the sheets of wall boardcarried by the rafters 25. The wall board carried by the joists 26 istapered for insertion between the upper surface of the rib 28 and theflange 30 of the reinforcing angle attached to the joists 26. Fillingmaterial 29 may be applied to the finished joint, if desired.

The material of the several reinforcing devices shown in Figures 6, 7 8,9, and 10 is preferably of relatively light gauge metal through whichnails can be readily driven,

and which has the desired flexibility to perdeparting from the spirit orscope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A building comprising a plurality-of spaced framing timbers, a sheetof wall board carried thereby and spanning a plurality of said timbers,a reinforcing device extending across said timbers having an edge withinthe lateral projection of said sheet and at least partially enclosing anend of said sheet for supporting it between the timbers.

2. A building comprising a plurality of spaced framing timbers, a sheetof wall board carried thereby and spanning a plurality of said timbers,a metal reinforcing device extending across said timbers having an edgewithin the lateral projection of said sheet and engaging an end of saidsheet for supporting it between the timbers.

3. A building comprising a plurality of spaced framing timbers, a sheetof wall board carried by and spanning the space between a plurality ofsaid timbers, and a reinforcing device having an edge within the lateralprojection of said sheet and at least partially enclosing an end of thesheet between said timbers for supporting it.

4. A building comprising a plurality of framing timbers, a sheet of wallboard carried by and spanning a plurality of said timbers, and areinforcing device having an edge within the lateral projection of saidsheet and extending across and outside of a plurality of said timbersfor engaging and supporting said sheet between said timbers.

5. In a frame structure, a plurality of intersecting frame portions,wall board having overlapping edges applied to adjacent surfaces of theframe portions, an edge of the wall board adjacent to the intersectionof the frame portions being left free from its supporting frame portion,and securing means for the free edge of the wall board carried only byanother frame portion and insertible between said free edge and itssupporting frame portion for maintaining the edges in overlappedrelation during relative movement between said frame portions.

6. In a building structure, a plurality of intersecting frame portions,wall board with adjacent edges forming substantially closed jointsapplied to adjacent surfaces of the frame portions, an edge of the wallboard adjacent to the intersection of the frame portions being left freefrom its supporting frame portion, and supporting means for the freeedge of the wall board carried only by the other frame portion andmovable with said other portion for flexing the free edge of the wallboard and preventing the separation of the wall board during relativemovement between the frame portions.

7. In a building, a group of spaced frame members, a second group ofspaced frame members intersecting the first named group,

wall board carried by said groups of frame members with overlappingedges adjacent the intersection of said groups of frame members, and areinforcing device for at least one of the overlapping edges of the wallboard, said reinforcing device spanning the frame members of one of saidgroups and free therefrom and secured to the other group of framemembers, whereby upon relative movement between the groups of framemembers the edges are maintained in overlapping relation.

8. In the method of applying wall board to an intersecting ceiling andside-wall of a frame structure, the steps consisting in attaching areinforcing angle to the side-wall near its intersection with theceiling, securing Wall board to the wall and overlying a portion of thereinforcing angle, and securing wall board to the ceiling with an edgein overlapping relation to the wall board carried by said wall and withsaid edge in engagement with said reinforcing angle and freely movabletherewith.

9. A reinforcing member comprising a metal sheet having a substantiallyflat body portion merging into a laterally extending doubled portion,and a substantially'fiat portion extending at an angle to thefirst-named flat portion and co-operating with the doubled portion toform a seat for a sheet of wall board.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RUSSELL G. GROSS.

